Had the Stone Ruination IPA last night and really enjoyed this. I enjoyed that it was still hoppy, but loved the smoother finish than the flying dog snake dog IPA from the night before.

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Instead of Snake Dog, try Flying Dog Double Dog sometime. I like it quite a bit. The ABV is in your face, but very strong citrus like hops. I think they list it as a double IPA, but it's different than most of them out there. More like a double pale ale.

Double Dog is marketed as a Double Pale Ale. It was my gateway to double IPAs, and I don't get back to it much, but it is worth a try, and I concur with jhick's review.
Not a huge fan of the Snake Dog, either, but I do recall liking Ruination the one time I had it.

Had some Cigar City Jai Alai on draft last night. My first taste at a different place must have been an old beer because at this new place I've been visiting, it is really good. Just picked up a 6 pack of it during my lunch hour.

Instead of Snake Dog, try Flying Dog Double Dog sometime. I like it quite a bit. The ABV is in your face, but very strong citrus like hops. I think they list it as a double IPA, but it's different than most of them out there. More like a double pale ale.

Double Dog is marketed as a Double Pale Ale. It was my gateway to double IPAs, and I don't get back to it much, but it is worth a try, and I concur with jhick's review.
Not a huge fan of the Snake Dog, either, but I do recall liking Ruination the one time I had it.

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I've actaully had the Double Dog and wrote about it here on the board. IMO, I liked the double pale ale more than the IPA (it just seemed smoother on the way down). But, I must try it in a clean beer glass as opposed to a bottle. I drank the Double Dog out of the bottle and I may have had an even better experience if it was in glass. I remember the Double Dog being definitely high in ABV (had a small buzz even after one), which was why I picked it out in the first place .

The sweetness from 120 comes from the high alcohol content (around 18%). I am mixed on 120, sometimes I love it, while other times it becomes a chore to finish.

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I wonder if that depends on the batch. They only make it once per year according to their show. One of the shows, they had to dump a batch of 120 because the high alcohol killed off the yeast. They tried adding new yeast but nothing was working.

Southern Tier Choklat Imperial Stout. THE chocolatiest, ever. Delicious. If you were hardcore, I suppose you could lament its lack of complexity - the chocolate smashes everything.

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Choklat just arrived here. Looking forward to trying it. I think all of those Blackwater Imperial 22oz need to be shared between 2 people. The first 11oz or so is amazing, but it's tough to finish a whole bottle by yourself. Great for dessert.

I really like their Imperial series. Unearthly IPA and Iniquity are both very good, but my favorite is called Big Red. It's an Imperial Red Ale, but it's basically an Imperial IPA made with Hallertau hops from Germany instead of the Pacific Northwest varieties you usually find in American IPAs. The result is a very hoppy beer, but Hallertau is an extremely clean hop, so you don't have some of the extraneous favors that come from high concentrations of American hops.

I wonder if that depends on the batch. They only make it once per year according to their show. One of the shows, they had to dump a batch of 120 because the high alcohol killed off the yeast. They tried adding new yeast but nothing was working.

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Nope, it's going to be sweeter because of the high ABV, irregardless of whether the batch is bad or not. Along with increasing the hop content, the malt content is increased as well.

Tried the Bell's Java Stout last night - very heavy on the coffee flavor. I love a good coffee beer, but this may have been more than I was expecting. Tasty beer, but it's closer to an espresso than it is a coffee infused beer.

I still personally prefer Surly Coffee Bender - that's a bit more balanced than the Java Stout.

Tried the Bell's Java Stout last night - very heavy on the coffee flavor. I love a good coffee beer, but this may have been more than I was expecting. Tasty beer, but it's closer to an espresso than it is a coffee infused beer.

I still personally prefer Surly Coffee Bender - that's a bit more balanced than the Java Stout.

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Concur on the coffee bender, good stuff.

However, IMO the holy grail of coffee beers are Alesmith Speedway Stout and Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel (made with kopi luwak aka "civet poop" high end coffee beans). Of course Speedway is not distributed in MN and the Mikkeller shows up in very limited quantities once a year.

OK, I have to update my rankings. I had a DFH 90 when I got home followed by a Jai Alai Cigar City IPA. I'm going to go with:

1) DFH 90
2) Cigar City
3) DFH 60

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What are some other comparisons? While I loved my first 90 minute, I have been disappointed by them more recently (note: we don't get therm in MN, so I only am able to pick them up while in Wisc). Have you had Double Simcoe from Weyerbacher, very solid beer. Bells 2 Hearted? Avery IPA? Other?

Lastly, FYI If you're ever up in the twin cities, there are two must try IPA's, namely Surly Furious and Town Hall Masala Mama IPA.

Bells 2 hearted is in my top 10. Avery is top 20. Have a cousin in St. Paul but never had much else of a reason to visit.

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Come here sometime for the beer scene. It's pretty good up here. I can help you find good places and bottle shops, etc. And Wisconsin is only a 20 minute drive from St. Paul, where you can get New Glarus, Three Floyds, Oscar Blues, etc.

Come here sometime for the beer scene. It's pretty good up here. I can help you find good places and bottle shops, etc. And Wisconsin is only a 20 minute drive from St. Paul, where you can get New Glarus, Three Floyds, Oscar Blues, etc.

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I may visit eventually, but not this time of year. Florida boy can't handle that kind of cold.

Come here sometime for the beer scene. It's pretty good up here. I can help you find good places and bottle shops, etc. And Wisconsin is only a 20 minute drive from St. Paul, where you can get New Glarus, Three Floyds, Oscar Blues, etc.

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I take it you've been to the Four Firkins? I don't get there often enough, but that is THE place to get obscure beers.

I have been there yes. Good selection, but they are pretty pricey as far as bottle shops go. When I lived in the TC area, my preferred bottle shop was Blue Max in Burnsville, due to location and selection. They have the largest Belgian selection bar none, their owners are nice and Jim the beer buyer is a really cool guy. Dennis Brothers was the other place for obscure beers, but they are a bit off the beaten path in Cottage Grove. However, my sister lives close so I'd visit it occasionally. The multiple cellars locations and Heritage in Maplewood are the other hot spots.

Chilly? It's downright balmy in Minneapolis today - a sweltering 23 out there today, with the highs reaching the low 30's this week. Time to bust out the summer ales.

I STILL haven't tried Celebration....I need to get on that. I haven't been overly impressed with some of the other SN ales, but I'll always try a new beer. It's cheaper than trying out new frames....

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Can't top you in the temperature department but 44 degrees at 3:30 PM with a 25 MPH wind is pretty darn cold for Central Florida! I'm with you on SN, never been a huge fan but the Celebration Ale is REALLY good. Too bad it is a seasonal.

Tried the Celebration last night with dinner - I think I just don't get along with SN beers....their hops have a certain "heaviness" that I don't get in other hoppy beers. I think it's either the variety that they use or something else, but either way - it wasn't bad, but I found myself longing for something with a different hop palate last night.

Anyway, the Brooklyn Black Ops Stout is pretty killer - very expensive but very good. If you see it, I recommend it. We had it at a tasting and bought a bottle to share with friends visiting for New YEars. Comes in a 750 bottle.

Anyone had Smuttynose Brewing Co. IPA? I haven't searched the thread for it yet, but it was good. One thing I noticed was that it was unfiltered. Small flecks of something were still in the beer. I noticed what seemed to be a possible hint of citrus taste. Maybe it's just me or maybe I didn't clean my glass properly. But I definitely saw somethings floating around in the beer. Overall, pretty good beer. Plenty of hoppy taste, but I feel there are still better IPAs out there. Unique as it appeared to be unfiltered. Everyone should at least give it a try.

Anyone had Smuttynose Brewing Co. IPA? I haven't searched the thread for it yet, but it was good. One thing I noticed was that it was unfiltered. Small flecks of something were still in the beer. I noticed what seemed to be a possible hint of citrus aftertaste. Maybe it's just me or maybe I didn't clean my glass properly. But I definitely saw somethings floating around in the beer. Overall, pretty good beer. Plenty of hoppy taste, but I feel there are still better IPAs out there. Unique as it appeared to be unfiltered. Everyone should at least give it a try.

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had that one, and yes better IPAs can be found. still good tho...great packaging(label).

Anyone had Smuttynose Brewing Co. IPA? I haven't searched the thread for it yet, but it was good. One thing I noticed was that it was unfiltered. Small flecks of something were still in the beer. I noticed what seemed to be a possible hint of citrus taste. Maybe it's just me or maybe I didn't clean my glass properly. But I definitely saw somethings floating around in the beer. Overall, pretty good beer. Plenty of hoppy taste, but I feel there are still better IPAs out there. Unique as it appeared to be unfiltered. Everyone should at least give it a try.

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We don't get Smuttynose here in MN, but usually unfiltered generally indicates more flavor and leaves more of the the yeast in the beer meaning more nutrients. Most of the time I prefer it over filtered. Personally, I wish more brewers would bottle condition their beers.

Typically, belgian beers tend to be unfiltered. I recall drinking a Abbeye des Rocs Brune a few years ago that had huge protein chunks in it. I was able to get past the mouthfeel and thought it was an excellent beer.

Can somebody enlighten me? I like Miller Draught, and sometimes Miller Chill, over Budweiser, is this a bad thing? Tell me more. I know nothing about American Beers. (They are so p*ss weak) hehehe.....

Can somebody enlighten me? I like Miller Draught, and sometimes Miller Chill, over Budweiser, is this a bad thing? Tell me more. I know nothing about American Beers. (They are so p*ss weak) hehehe.....

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This is a thread for GOOD beer. You won't find discussion on Bud, Miller or Coors here. The beers we are talking about are typically not weak at all.

Can somebody enlighten me? I like Miller Draught, and sometimes Miller Chill, over Budweiser, is this a bad thing? Tell me more. I know nothing about American Beers. (They are so p*ss weak) hehehe.....

Can somebody enlighten me? I like Miller Draught, and sometimes Miller Chill, over Budweiser, is this a bad thing? Tell me more. I know nothing about American Beers. (They are so p*ss weak) hehehe.....

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Give Little Creatures Pale Ale a try sometime and we'll probably have something more in common to discuss.

Can somebody enlighten me? I like Miller Draught, and sometimes Miller Chill, over Budweiser, is this a bad thing? Tell me more. I know nothing about American Beers. (They are so p*ss weak) hehehe.....

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But in all seriousness, is there another beer that you have drank? And yes, they are p*ss weak